The U.S. Postal Service is planning some huge rate hikes for catalogers and magazine publishers mailing to Mexico, according to a recent notice in the Federal Register. And it also wants to raise the price of mailing magazines overseas.
The USPS plans to raise the surface rate for a 5-ounce catalog or small packet going to Mexico by 30 cents, from $1.50 to $1.80. Mailers sending a 15-ounce catalog or package to Mexico will see an even more drastic increase – from $1.88 to $2.26.
Publishers will take a big hit as well. The USPS hopes to up the price of sending a 5-ounce magazine to all other countries except Canada from 91 cents to $1.05. The cost of mailing the same periodical to Mexico will go from 94 cents to $1.13.
The USPS is now seeking the Postal Rate Commission’s support for a domestic rate hike averaging 6.4%. By law, however, international rates are exempt from PRC review and can be raised or lowered any time the postal service sees fit.
According to the Federal Register notice, the USPS wants to increase the price of sending books to Mexico – from $1.88 to $2.26 for a 1-pound volume, and from $6.88 to $8.26 for 5 pounds. It would cost $8.11 to send the same 5-pound book to all other countries except Canada – or $1.45 more.
Any good news? Yes – the USPS proposes to cut the charge for a 1-pound package bound for Mexico by 63 cents, dropping the price from $3.77 to $3.14.
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